Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Cinnamon part three

Cinnamon is doing ok at the moment! She has been on CV247 for 15 days with no side effects to date. This Thursday will be 5 weeks since her last operation to remove five tumours. Within two months I can normally feel one or two very very tiny lumps reappearing and at the moment I can feel a little something on her neck but she did have a very deep scar there, so I am not sure if it is scarring or the tumour returning once again, so only time will tell. I assume like everything else, the CV247 needs to get into the system before it successfully works. She is very well in her self but then again she has never been ill with the tumours to date. Because Fibrosarcoma is quite an aggressive form of cancer, I am not expecting miracles, but hope that the CV247 will be able to slow the growth down to buy her more time.
She and my other two cats are not very happy eating the fresh organic produce that I have been buying them and have tried mixing it with organic pet food, but they sort out the freshly cooked food and chuck it on the floor and Jake, my dog, goes around eating their leftovers. So I have given up with the fresh food and continue to give them "Yarrah" and "Lily's Kitchen" organic pet food which they love. I have also been giving them mineral water instead of tap water but noticed on your website a lady stating that John Carter insisted on the glass bottle mineral water. So I shall now change the mineral water too! I have also been giving Cinnamon wheatgrass juice which was also recommended by another client of John Carter.
I keep the CV247 in the fridge as recommended by the Vet and I give Cinnamon 1ml twice daily within half an hour. I can only keep my fingers crossed that it helps her, but at least there is no nasty side effects that chemo can produce, so she has a good quality of life at present.
I will keep you updated of her progress.
Maralyn

Monday, 9 March 2009

Herbie



Beverley,

Thank you so much for your kind email a fortnight ago. My vet referred me to Richard Allport, and fortunately he is prepared to do postal consultations - I live several hours' drive away, and knew Herbie would be stressed by the long journey.

Herbie has lymphoma, which he developed in April 2007, and since then has had a great deal of chemotherapy, but we ran out of options last year. Nothing held back his nodes from growing for more than 48 hours, and the vet advised me it was time for "palliative care only".

Since then, his lymph nodes have continued to grow (photo attached - greyhounds aren't supposed to look like this!) and according to his latest blood test, there is an overspill of lymphocytes into his blood, so the picture isn't too good. He's been on a home-cooked diet for a long while now, and I'm trying to get him used to the addition of raw fruit and vegetables, as per John Carter's instructions. I'm struggling with that - Herbie's never liked fruit, won't touch grated carrot, but I have managed to get him to drink bottled organic carrot juice. If anyone has advice on how to get raw fruit into him, I'd be grateful.

Richard Allport has also prescribed some homeopathic remedies and a couple of other things to support the CV247, so we're taking one day at a time.

Thank you once again for pointing me in the right direction.

Best wishes
Helena Nowell


I'm sure we all send Helen and Herbie all our best wishes. I heard today that Helena has sent off for a copy of the Max Gerson book on Amazon that John based his diet on.

Wednesday, 4 March 2009

Biggles

A few blogs ago I reproduced the letter from Vet Times that mentioned the original dogs in the clinical trial. Shirley Thompson now lives overseas but she saw the blog and recognised her dog Biggles. I asked her to write something for the blog to share with the new patients on CV247.

I had forgotten John's obsession with only glass bottled water rather than plastic. I remember him writing Waitrose a stinking letter when they stopped selling it! Thank you Shirley for bringing back another memory.

Here's the extract:
K.C. Spaniel (eight years)dog diagnosed to have lymphoma by biopsy. Despite chemotherapy it continued to deteriorate, so this was discontinued. The owner was then told that euthanasia would be necessary within two months. After 18 months' treatment with CV247 the dog appears to be well with good appetite and normal behaviour. Only one lymph node is still enlarged but reduced in size.
Biggles, my eight year old Cavalier was diagnosed with lymphoma after a biopsy and my vet told me chemo was the only option. I was reluctant but decided to try it. Biggles was so unhappy on it, sick, hiding in corners and generally with no quality of life I decided this was not fair. His eyes were telling me to stop.
I went to the vet to tell him I was stopping the chemo and while I was in the waiting room I read about John Carter in a copy of Dogs Today magazine.
There were just a couple of lines in the editor's intro where she referred to alternative cancer vet. I told my vet I was stopping the chemo and he told me the dog would be dead in a couple of
months.
I called Dogs Today and got John's number, called him and went to see him that evening. I carried Biggles in, he could hardly walk.
After an evening of treatment he ran out of the surgery on his own. I went straight to the Tesco's all night store to buy everything organic John had requested. For the first month I took Biggles twice a day even Sundays where John treated him at his home. It became our outing, complete with my other Cavalier and my Pyrenean.
John was concerned that Biggles had the chemo in his system and this was making it twice as hard. Biggles became one of the trial dogs in the initial study. I seemed to be either cooking organic food or sitting in a waiting room in Harrow all the time. I worked as a stewardess at the time so was spending literally most of what I earned to pay dog minders to stay at home with Biggles and take him for his treatment and prepare his organic food.
I put my other two dogs on the organic food, too. I order my bottled water in glass bottles in bulk.
The results were remarkable. No one could believe this was the same dog who had been half dead. Over time, the visits to Harrow became less frequent but I still stuck to the regime religiously. There were people coming from all over the country putting their lives on hold for their animals.
I remember one couple who had come from Scotland and were living nearby in a caravan. The ones that did not respond well were when the owners cheated with the organic diet. They said their dogs wouldn't eat the food and they felt sorry for them. If a dog is hungry he will eat what you give him and you had to be determined.
The pet insurance covered the visits to John and If you didn't have insurance half the time he didn't charge you. He was a professor brainstorm type, a shy man. He was so focused on his treatment. He was so eccentric but one of life's characters.
Biggles died in his sleep three years later having had a great quality of life since John's treatment.
If your animal has cancer do not hesitate. But be determined to stick to the diet. Ten years ago it was hard to get the food but we managed. These days organic produce is everywhere. If you have more than one animal put them all on it. Make your own treats from organic oats and bottled water. Make a paste and then bake slowly in the over. Add apple or carrot for flavour. Make crisps out of organic potatoes.
Make sure the bottled water is in glass bottles.
Stick to the diet. Never waiver from it. Your dog's life is in your hands so you have to be determined.
Shirley Thompson

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Cinnamon 2

Update on Cinnamon.
Yesterday Cinnamon started her CV247 and all is well at present. Her scars are healing well from her operation and she is very well, back chasing her tail and having her mad half hour so much so that she jumped onto the window sill and smashed my beautiful candy jar that I've had for 24 years!!
Richard Allport recommended an organic food by Lily's Kitchen, which I purchased yesterday and it arrived this morning just in time for feeding my three cats. They loved it! and ate every little morsel. I have to say the service was excellent with prompt delivery and the food packed and sealed extremely well.
I also managed to find an organic farm near Epping called "Ashlyns" which sells everything organic. I purchased organic chicken, liver, rabbit and game (wild) for my cats. They are still dubious about eating freshly cooked meats, but I have been adding a little of the organic pet food to it and they lap it up. So if there is anyone reading this who is trying to get their pets to go over to organic, then I hope this information helps you.
Maralyn Imbrogino

Saturday, 21 February 2009

From the archives

Just found this posted on the web. It's a letter that was published in the Veterinary Times in February 1999 p27. It lists some of the original pets that took part in the trials. If you recognise your pet, please get in touch with me.

A NEW APPROACH TO CANCER THERAPY

Dear Sir
I would like to inform my colleagues of a new approach to cancer therapy which has been developed by a member of our profession, John Carter.
It is designated CV247. It is an oral treatment and a salt free and artificial chemical additive-free diet is part of it.
Three controlled trials have been conducted on this treatment at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, Department of Oncology, by Prof. Peter Beverley, then the head of the Tumour Immunology Unit of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. CV247 was administered to mice with malignant tumours.
He concluded that the treatment caused a statistically significant reduction in the rate of tumour growth in the treated, compared to the untreated subjects. He added in his report that there were no side effects attributable to the treatment.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate then suggested that an appropriate veterinary expert should study the treatment and submit his report on it. I was asked to do this because I have had 34 years experience of advising on animal studies for cancer research and have, since the 1986 Act, been the NVS of the Cancer Research Fund and of the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research. Because I have also experienced clinical work in general practice throughout this time, I agreed that I would monitor, in my personal capacity as an independent clinical observer, an open study on the effect of the treatment on firmly diagnosed cancers supported by pathology reports in cats and dogs.
Twenty six cases were selected for the study, four of which had been diagnosed prior to it's commencement. Animals which would not eat, or where the owners lived at such distances that they were not prepared to travel regularly for treatment, could not be included, although some owners did come on a regular basis to Harrow from as far away as Wiltshire or Yorkshire.
In this study I found no evidence of toxicity or side effects. In fact, an improvement in the general health and behaviour was not only obvious to the owner but also to the independent observer.
Of the 26 cases treated, all were advanced and 16 were considered to be terminal. There was an observable regression of tumours in 15 cases and a considerable or an apparent regression in nine cases, seven of which are briefly described:

A collie bitch (13 Years)diagnosed at the Animal Health Trust to have sublingual melanoma. Prognosis will require euthanasia within four to six month. No drugs would have any effect. Radiotherapy might reduce it but will still die of secondaries. After seven month of treatment the tumour had shrunk to less than a quarter of it's original size. The dog was lively, alert and eating well. There was no indication of secondary tumours.

A K.C. Spaniel bitch ( eight years) diagnosed with lymphosarcoma. Prognosis guarded to poor. Response to chemotherapy likely to be poor. After 24 month treatment the dog appears to be well to be well with good appetite and normal behaviour. It's lymph nodes are palpable but considerably reduced in size.

A Rough Collie dog (10 years) diagnosed at the RVC Hospital to have gastric carcinoma. Prognosis without surgery survival is not likely beyond four months. Owner declined surgery. After two years' treatment the dog was fit and well with a shiny coat, good appetite and had no symptoms of gastric carcinoma.

A K.C. Spaniel (eight years)dog diagnosed to have lymphoma by biopsy. Despite
chemotherapy it continued to deteriorate, so this was discontinued. The owner was then told that euthanasia would be necessary within two months. After 18 months' treatment with CV247 the dog appears to be well with good appetite and normal behaviour. Only one lymph node is still enlarged but reduced in size.

A Dobermann dog (eight years)diagnosed at the RVC Hospital to have carcinomatosis with marked cachexia and ascites, the tumour extending into the the abdomimal organs. Prognosis: no possible treatment, immediate euthanasia recommended. After three month treatment he appeared to be in good condition with no ascites, normal weight, eating well and playing with other dogs.

A Dobermann bitch ( eight years) diagnosed at the University of Cambridge Veterinary Hospital to have a transitional cell carcinoma of the urethra infiltrating the neck of the bladder. Prognosis grave, no treatment possible. Two years after commencing treatment with CV247 she was fit and lively, and passing urine normally with no signs of blood. On the treatment a rapid improvement was seen.

A female cat ( one year) diagnosed by biopsy to have fibrosarcoma of the forelimb, amputation recommended. Six years after the commencement of CV247 she is alive and well with no indication of the tumour. Initially the patient is treated either daily or on alternative days for the first two or three weeks. Then, if response is satisfactory, it is progressively reduced. Hopefully CV247 will be a licenced veterinary medicine available to all our members in the not too distant future.

Yours faithfully ANDOR SEBESTENY, BVSc, DipBact, MRCVS. Veterinary Supervisor Head of the Animal Health and Welfare Unit, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Clare Hall Laboratories, Blanche Lane, South Mimms. Potters Bar, Herts. EN6 3LD.

Friday, 20 February 2009

Latest list of vets and doctors

Vets who have expressed a willingness to prescribe CV247

Mr Richard Allport B.Vet. Med.,Vet.M.F.Hom., M.R.C.V.S.
Natural Medicine Centre
11 Southgate Road
Potters Bar
Herts
EN6 5DR

Email: info@naturalmedicinecentre.net
Telephone: 01707 662058

Barbara Jones BVMS MRCVS VetMFHom
Oakwood Veterinary Centre
Babbinswood Farm
Whittington
Oswestry
Shropshire SY11 4PF

Email: barbarjones@onetel.com
Telephone: 01691 679 699

John Hope-Ryan
Masefield House Veterinary Surgery
Wells Road
Malvern Wells
Worcs
WR14 4PA

Email: john@mhvs.co.uk
Telephone: 01684 576464

Paul Grant
35 Addington Road
West Wickham
BR4 9BN

Email: paulgrant64@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 020 84623455

Alan Marshall BVMS MRCVS
The Bard Veterinary Group
15 Catherine Street
Dumfries
DG1 1JF

Email: mail@thebardvetgroup.co.uk
Tel: 01387 255295

Jane Murphy
Lordship Lane Vet Surgery
509-511 Lordship Lane
Dulwich
London SE22 8JY

Email: ejanemurphy@hotmail.com
Telephone: 020 86934677


Doctors who are willing to prescribe CV247

Dr Nicola Hembry
Litfield House Medical Centre
1 Litfield Place
Clifton
Bristol
BS8 3LS

Tel: 0117 969 2814
info@drhembry.com
Website: www.drhembry.com

Dr Rajendra Sharma
The Diagnostic Clinic
50 New Cavendish Street
London
W1G 8TL

Tel: 020 7009 4650
Email: rs@thediagnosticclinic.com
Website: www.thediagnosticclinic.com

Tuesday, 17 February 2009

Cinnamon

I would like to write my story of my little cat Cinnamon. Having obtained the formula last Friday I shall be starting Cinnamon on it next week.


My darling beautiful cat was diagnosed with Fibrosarcoma in December 2007 after I found a lump on the back of her neck. I took her in as a stray and guess she is around 12 years of age. Although Fibrosarcoma is normally associated with vaccines, because she is an indoor cat, I have not had her vaccinated for many years, but she did have a reaction to an antibiotic injection about five years ago where a large sore appeared in exactly the same place as the Fibrosarcoma, but I shall never really know what caused it. The vet performed an operation to remove the lump and also found a smaller one at the side. After the results came back with the diagnosis, it was suggested that I took her to a soft tissue surgeon for aggressive surgery, chemo and radiotherapy. I read every website I could find on this disease and due to the aggressive nature and poor prognosis in that the lumps return within two months and even up to a year with aggressive surgery, decided to opt for alternative treatment rather than put her through months of gruelling chemo.
I took her along to see Richard Allport an alternative Vet and was given homeopathy and other medications. I also added a few vitamins of my own ie, mushroom extracts. Within three months the two tumours returned but the treatment seemed to be slowing it down as it took five months before they became pea sized. She was operated on again to remove the lumps but again within five months they returned.
During this time her quality of life has been very good, she is not ill, eating well and still chasing her tail. She recovered very well from the operations but still the lumps returned causing her to have another operation.
Five months ago I noticed other lumps coming up around her neck and between her shoulder blades totalling five in all. A couple of weeks ago I decided to have her operated on again, but this time was going to suggest to the vet that if the tumours were attached to bone or muscle and she was unable to remove all the tumour then it might be kind to put her to sleep while under anaesthetic.
A couple of days before her operation was due, I saw the "London Tonight" programme concerning the new cancer treatment developed by a vet, Dr John Carter, that was also being used in trials on humans. I began my research on all the websites to find that John Carter had sadly passed away but his partner Professor Sebesteny had the formula licenced in Europe and vets were using it in Hungary - it is called CV247.
I then came across Beverley's blog "Coldwetnose" and read her article about John Carter and how he had successfully treated her dog. I emailed Beverley to ask her whether she knew if vets in the UK were using it and from that day Beverley has been an inspiration to me in helping me and others to find out all the information on CV247 and its use in the UK.
It was with her we located the Pharmaceutical Company, Ivy Medicals that John and the Professor formed together to produce CV247 and the good news was, that UK vets could now use it on animals. A list of vets was emailed to me and I chose one in Croydon that had previously done trials on animals.
I was told that a third of animals respond well enough to be cured, a third respond and get much better but are not cured and a third do not respond at all. The formula was sent via the post to me and is mixed with Vitamin C and given twice daily in half hourly intervals. The recommended diet is fresh organic food or organic pet food.
I have been searching the petshops and websites for organic cat food as my cat particularly likes dried food and it is very difficult trying to change a habit of a lifetime.
I came across "Yarrah" which is made in Holland and produces pure organic pet food. Cinnamon and my other cats enjoy the wet food but not so keen on the dried. I have also cooked fresh food but it is difficult to get them to eat it, but I am trying very hard and gradually winning.
Luckily the vet was able to remove all five tumours and I decided against having her put to sleep in order to give me more time with my precious little angel to see if the formula will help her. I have to wait another week for the antibiotics to get out of her system and introduce her new organic diet and I shall hopefully start treatment early next week.
I will keep Beverley informed of her progress and keep my fingers crossed. I would also like to take this opportunity in thanking Beverley for all her help and advice and without her I may not have found out all the information I needed to get the formula, she has been like my little "Guardian Angel". I also thank her for setting up this fantastic website whereby we can all exchange views, diets and advice for one another who have poorly pets.
Well done Beverley!
Maralyn Imbrogino